Notes
Snow on the ground as I woke up later than desired. This intensified my worry of not having the right clothes with me in Ames. I figured shorts were doable with an extra pair of underwear and I had a pullover and gloves. No hat though. Naomi let me borrow one that looked like it would get too warm and sweaty. It actually worked great and I looked great in Tye-die...
I ran across Ames to check out some potential trails. About 5miles to River Valley Park. I crossed abridge and found a good couple miles of wide dirt paths along the South Skunk River. That was enjoyable and only did the outer loop (though upon review, there may not me much more than 1 trail within the outer loop. Still fun and the snow wasn't thick enough to stay unmelted on the dirt.
I found a porta-potty before risking making a loop back through Ames. The return route wasn't without backtracking but I estimated it perfectly for 14.